Workplace Literacy in a Total Quality Management Environment for the Manufacturing and Financial Services Industries. Final Performance Report.

Mrowicki, Linda; And Others

A project was conducted for the following purposes: (1) improve the productivity and efficiency of 21 companies by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs; and (2) improve the capability of educational providers to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing and financial services industries in the Chicago area by developing customized curriculum and instructional materials. During the program, 2,407 workers in the 21 companies were recruited and pretested; 1,526 workers were provided with customized training using 166 modules; and a basic skills curriculum for Total Quality Management was developed. The project exceeded goals in some areas (for example, the 166 modules developed were 66 percent above goal), achieved less than goal in some areas (1,526 participants served versus the 1,933 goal), and met goals in other areas (recruitment of prospective students, training of instructors). Almost all of the employees completed the training, and almost all were successful in improving their skills. An external evaluation report (Jane W. Philippi) showed the following: needs were met, participants showed impressive pretest-posttest gains; and significant improvements in employee performance were noted. Data were not available to show cost benefits to the companies. Recommendations were made to improve the project for future use by making realistic assessment of company commitments and number of workers that can be served. (KC)